The advance of cellular technology has seen a significant increase in the number portable telephones in use. Many modes of transportation, such as aircraft, trains, buses or automobiles can be equipped with telephones for passenger use. One common factor in such telephone applications is the need to limit the amount of space required for storage of the telephones when not in use.
Previously, when a passenger boarded an aircraft, that passenger was incommunicado with the rest of the world until the plane landed. This presented difficulties for many people that needed to maintain contact with business associates, family or friends on the ground. The first aircraft equipped with telephones available for passenger use generally had a limited number of such telephones, located in common areas in the cabin. This was an advantage over having no telephones or communication options, but still presented limited alternatives if several people needed to make a call simultaneously. More recently, aircraft telephones have been installed in seat backs providing at least one phone for a group of adjacent seats. While this alleviated the situation to a degree, there was still no provision to provide for two passengers in the same group of seats to simultaneously use a telephone.
One inherent disadvantage of human transportation systems such as aircraft is the limited amount of space available. With the increasing technology available and the demands of the flying public, airlines are trying to fully equip airplanes with a wide variety of passenger comfort and convenience items. Some examples are video screens for inflight entertainment and passenger control units, such as flight attendant call buttons. The more prevalent these items become on aircraft, the greater the need for thoughtful space organization. Because one logical location for video screens is the seat back, an alternative location to store the telephone handset is desired.
Similar needs are presented on a variety of transportation platforms, including automobiles, trains and buses. All of these platforms are limited in the amount of space available to an occupant.
What is needed is a system that allows telephones to be available to each passenger on an aircraft or other mode of transportation while minimizing the amount of space required for storage of the telephone handset. This will allow the full convenience a telephone provides without surrendering the space necessary for other passenger convenience systems.